


Burning Question

by Sodalicious_Froggy



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: (they're both trans :') ), Awkward Conversations, M/M, Pining, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:55:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28637337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sodalicious_Froggy/pseuds/Sodalicious_Froggy
Summary: "No, it's fine, you were just curious. What kind of hypocrite would I be if I disallowed curiosity?"
Relationships: Engineer & Medic (Team Fortress 2), Engineer/Medic (Team Fortress 2)
Kudos: 42





	Burning Question

**Author's Note:**

> aka i got sick of seeing fics abt any of the mercs being trans that were also super fetishistic so :V some soft stuff ft pining engie

It was only after an experiment gone wrong had caused Medic's shirt to catch fire that Engie had ever seen him shirtless.

Not that he was actually itching to see him so, just that it kind of amused him when he ran to get the fire extinguisher he kept in the corner of the room only to turn around and see that Medic had practically thrown his shirt off and was stomping at the flames until they'd all gone out.

They both took a moment to stare at the smoking heap of what used to be a slightly crumpled dress shirt before Engie sprayed at it anyways for comedic effect, eliciting a giggle out of his lab partner and making Engie smile in turn. 

He had to admit, Medic was rather.... attractive under all those layers he wore. 

Muscular but not in a body builder way, more so for.... practicality. Which was always something Engie could appreciate, in more ways than one. He was also starting to go soft around the middle in a way that, for lack of other coherent thought, really made him want to give him a squeeze. 

His eyes were also drawn to all the scars that covered his body. All the mercs had their fair share (respawn wasn't Perfect after all) but it wasn't much of a surprise that Medic would have more than the rest of them considering he was a prime target for getting murdered. 

What he really noticed, though, was the two somewhat faded scars that ran on either side of his chest and towards his back, ones he clearly hadn't gotten from any sort of battle encounter. 

Medic eventually noticed him staring, squinting slightly as he tried to decipher what exactly Engie was looking at. When he realized he seemed sort of... self conscious, suddenly clasping his hands together in order to get his attention.

Engie blinked.

"Shucks, Doc, I- I'm sorry-"

"It's fine, I'll be. Uhm. Back," Medic said hurriedly, picking up the remnants of his shirt and his vest and tie before making his way out of the workshop and towards his quarters before Engie had any sort of time to object. 

Engie sighed before swearing under his breath. 

He turned back to what was their shared workspace, scratching the back of his neck before moving to start cleaning up the mess they'd made. 

It was after several minutes that he'd noticed Medic had returned, having come back after changing into a t-shirt and pajama pants. He'd been sort of waiting in the doorframe, Engie beckoning him in as he closed up his tool box.

It was a little while before either of them spoke, both of them wordlessly moving around to put various things away. 

Engie cleared his throat.

"So uh. You're trans?"

"...Yes, yes I am."

"How come you never said anything? You know I am too."

"I know, I just don't- ahem. Like. People. Knowing things about me," Medic stumbled out, still avoiding Engie's gaze as he separated their notes into two different piles, one of rejects to be shredded and the other of things to save for later. 

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't've stared-"

"No, it's fine, you were just curious. What kind of hypocrite would I be if I disallowed curiosity?" Medic chuckled, though he still seemed a bit uneasy. 

"Yeah but if you don't want to talk about it then I shouldn't make you talk about it," Engie frowned as he flipped through the shred pile to make sure nothing salvageable had made its way in there. 

"I've noticed you're kinda private about stuff. If being trans is something you don't wanna share with other people then I shouldn't have made a big deal out of it."

"But you didn't. I'm the one who made a big deal out of it, literally all you did was look which is, to my knowledge, not a crime."

Engie tried to open his mouth again to argue but Medic quickly pinched his lips shut and gave him a Look signifying that he wanted to drop it.

He held his hands up.

"Ok, ok, I give."

"Thank you."

The two of them returned to their silence as Medic took back the shred pile and opened Engie's desk drawer of other stuff that needed to be shredded, Engie himself clearing off all the scrap metal and putting them into the large container he kept them in. It was only after they'd finished cleaning that either of them had spoken, the both of them sort of awkwardly standing next to each other for a while.

"Hey Doc, I uh..."

"Yes?"

"I really am sorry, even if you think I have nothing to be sorry for. If you ever want to talk about stuff, know that I'm here for you but if you don't, then that's fine too. You're my friend. And I care about you," He said softly. 

Medic pursed his lips as he mulled over what to say.

"...Thank you, Herr Engineer. I think I'll uhm. Be on my way now," Was what he ended up deciding on. Engie bowed his head slightly and nodded, about to turn and leave himself. 

However, he was dissuaded by the feeling of two strong arms suddenly wrapping around him, having to take a moment to process that he was being hugged before he reciprocated. 

The two of then admittedly stayed like that for a little longer than either expected but even when Medic had pulled away, it still didn't feel like long enough. He ended up hesitating before leaning down and softly head bumping him, Engie letting out an amused huff as he did so.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Get some rest soon or I'll hit you so hard you won't have a choice but to," He started gently, corners of his mouth turning upwards as he mockingly threatened him. Engie chuckled and rolled his eyes. 

"Ok, ok, I will. Sleep well, Doc. See you tomorrow," He smiled, waving as Medic made his way out again.

When he was sure he was out of earshot, Engie let out a sigh, rubbing his face as he fumbled in his pocket for the keys to the workshop door and walked over to the lights to turn them off. 

With all the thoughts swimming in his head, he wasn't exactly sure if he'd be getting any sleep that night. But he had to admit, lying awake in bed for hours and thinking about his unfortunately growing affections for his questionably qualified teammate wasn't exactly the worse option in the world.


End file.
